


Finding You

by origincountry



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Maybe more heavy than I intended, Natural Disaster, Near Death Experiences, People helping strangers, Personal search and rescue, Survival, Worry, earthquake, perseverance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:34:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7876693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/origincountry/pseuds/origincountry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Another wave of nausea ran through Kevin’s body, his throat collapsing. He closed his eyes, hand tightening around the door handle of his car. All he could picture were people, hundreds of people, trapped and crushed under rubble and covered in dust and blood. He wanted to help them, save as many as he could, but he knew he couldn’t, that it wasn’t possible. Kevin swallowed hard, the hundreds of people filtering down to only one. He pictured Edd, trapped under tons of concrete, eyes scrunched in pain, voice unheard as the rubble shifted and constricted him further. He could hear him yelp in agony, picture him crying incoherently—Kevin’s eyes opened immediately.</i>
</p><p>He had to find him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding You

**Author's Note:**

> So I was kinda obsessed with disaster movies as a kid, and this idea came to me when I was daydreaming, so basically I had to write it. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Traffic was light on the Bay Bridge. There’s still a hefty sprinkling of cars across the lanes, but they aren’t packed tightly, bumper to bumper, like they are during rush hour. This gives Kevin’s little Toyota plenty of breathing room, and it means that he’ll be across the bridge and in San Francisco in under 20 minutes. With heavy traffic it would’ve taken an hour. Or more. 

Kevin hums and taps his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the radio. He doesn’t know the song, but it’s catchy, and he thinks Edd would like it. He’ll have to keep an ear open for when the DJ says the title. Maybe he’ll put together a playlist or something when he gets home, and have a little impromptu dance party when Edd gets off work. Just him and Edd, moving together in their living room, the hardwood squeaking beneath their feet as their laughter drowns out the music. He knows it might take a minute or two to convince Edd to dance with him, but he’s done it before and it’d be an amazing way to start the evening.

Kevin smiles as he thinks of everything else he has planned for that special night. It _has_ to be perfect. That’s why he’s driving across the bridge at 2pm on a sunny Tuesday afternoon; to pick up something from a bakery that he knows Edd will love. _Something_ with fresh candied almonds or marzipan, basically the only sweet things Edd really enjoyed wholly. He can’t wait to see Edd’s face when he surprises him. His expression will be well worth Kevin’s hour long errand, no doubt about that.

Kevin brings his focus back to the road as he passes the shockingly white modern suspension tower heralding the end of the new span of the bridge. The road decks, which were side by side, now begin to arc towards each other. The one heading towards the city gently curves up to the left, while the one heading back to the East Bay twists down to the right, allowing the decks to stack atop one another as they disappear into the tunnel piercing Yerba Buena Island. It’s then dark, the sound of car engines and tires on asphalt bouncing off the tiled walls of the tunnel, but it’s brief. Kevin unconsciously holds his breath as his beat-up green Toyota emerges back into the sunlight.

He’ll never get used to it, the sight of massive metal cables curving up to meet the top of the huge steel towers supporting the bridge. There’s four of them, marching off into the distance, dwarfing the tiny cars driving under their enormous crossbeams. Each tower is slightly hidden behind the one that comes before, perspective collapsing all four into a dizzying kaleidoscope of angled steel as the road deck arced up to meet the graceful lines of the cables draping down to support it. It looked so _delicate_ , but oddly sturdy and certainly beautiful—in a way Kevin can’t really describe. It’s almost industrial looking, the towers of the Bay Bridge don't have the refined art deco setbacks that the Golden Gate has, or an interesting color, but Kevin almost prefers the stark plainness driven by utility and structure. He knows that he can trust the bridge with his life.

That wasn’t the case when he first crossed the bridge, years ago when he and Edd drove across the country for their anniversary. That was before Edd got the job offer from UCB which led to them moving out here, so even though Kevin was sure that would be the only time he’d ever cross the bridge, he was still worried.

“Is everything alright?” Kevin remembers Edd asking, his right hand moving from the steering wheel to rub Kevin’s thigh. “You look really nervous.”

“Those cables look awfully thin Edd.”

He remembers how Edd’s hand stopped moving, instead his thumb began making smooth circles against Kevin’s jeans. It felt nice and comforting.

“It’s okay Kevin, this bridge has stood for 75 years, through all the earthquakes since it was built.” Edd glanced at him, a small smile showing his dimples. “You can trust it, they oversized everything back then, I’m certain it can withstand a few cars.”

Kevin eyed the packed lanes over the hood of their then-new Toyota. Traffic had gone from smooth and clear to an instant standstill when they had gone through the tunnel. There were hundreds of cars and trucks around them, he remembered how he suddenly felt pinned in.

“Uh-huh,” Kevin grumbled, “I’ll be happy when we get to the other side…”

Edd laughed and continued to draw circles with his fingers on Kevin’s leg. “We’ll get across eventually, try to focus on something else.”

Kevin nodded, but still couldn’t move his eyes from the taught metal cables preventing the bridge from collapsing into the bay, a hundred feet beneath them.

Now though, years later, Kevin looked at the cables which rapidly approached and receded with only mild interest. They framed the blue sky, puffy white clouds casting shadows over the rippling water of the bay. The glass and concrete of the San Francisco skyline gleamed in the sunlight off the righthand side of the bridge, cars like ants meandering up and down the Embarcadero and Market Street. A ferry was approaching the Ferry Building, lining up with the dock. The white and blue of the boat garish and attention-catching as it was reflected in the water. Kevin felt none of the nervousness he had when Edd and him first drove across the bridge, he’s made the trip countless times in the years he’s lived here. In that sense it wasn’t a big deal anymore, just routine.

The song changed, and Kevin realized he’d missed the title of the one he liked. It didn’t matter, the new song was lively and upbeat, it didn’t spoil his mood. Kevin happily kept drumming his fingers over the worn faux-leather steering wheel as the second tower of the bridge began to loom over him. 

It was then that he felt it, a spasm through the floor of his car. The bridge shuttered suddenly. Light clouds of dust fell from the tower before him, drifting down to the road. It shuttered again, a force reverberating throughout the structure.

Kevin slammed on his brakes, swerving and sliding forward. Everything then occurred seemingly in a blink of an eye, but also paradoxically slow and detailed as the earthquake ramped up. This wasn’t a light tremor either—another shutter ripped through the bridge.

The road deck started to sway back and forth, steel screeching. There was a loud groan, uncomfortably human sounding, as the cables of the bridge warbled, keeping tension as the asphalt dipped down and then back up in a slow oscillation. The light posts quivered side to side, keeping perpendicular to the road deck as it tilted to the right, and then back to the left, sparks flinging from their bases. 

Kevin gripped the steering wheel so tightly his palms hurt, his knuckles white. His car was still sliding forward, the brakes not as good as they used to be, as the radio continued to belt out inappropriately cheery pop music. The sounds of the bridge straining against the forces of the earth were louder than the music, and increasingly put Kevin on edge. His heart raced, each beat filling his ears. 

Over 75 years old, what were the odds that the bridge would collapse _now?_

The metal grills which connected each segment of the road surface together, much like interlocking fingers—which normally allowed the metal and asphalt to expand and contract, began to separate before Kevin’s eyes. The steel fingers parted and then came back together with each oscillation of the bridge, the clang of the metal barely audible over the loud twangs of the cables. With one heavy jolt, the fingers separated their widest as Kevin’s Toyota slid closer, then came crashing back together. There was a horrendous shriek of metal as the fingers interlocked again, the force bending them up like dull spikes. Kevin’s car slid into them, coming to a jolty stop as he heard the front tires pop, impaled on the metal.

The other cars around him were sliding and careening to a stop too, some hitting the high barrier at the side of the bridge or even other vehicles. Each impact a silent crush of alloy against the louder background of stressed steel. He could see his own terror in the expressions and anxious glances of the people in the neighboring cars. He breathed deeply, not wanting to freak out, as he tried to remember his emergency training from years ago, when he was a firefighter for PCFD. That was different though, a fire could be contained, the earth could not. There was nothing to do except keep himself from stressing out, his life was already in the hands of the Bay Bridge. It was as simple and scary as that.

The bridge continued to sway, a slow and almost graceful dance that would be beautiful if it weren’t so terrifying. 

There was also no sign that the quake was slowing down, or getting weaker.

This was by far the longest earthquake Kevin had ever been in, and all he could do was wait it out. He looked up through the windshield at the tower soaring above him. One second it was moving forward, looming over his car, and the next it was receding away, tilting the other direction. Horrified, he saw rivets start to shear off the surface of the tower, the fist-sized metal bulbs hitting the road deck in silence as the bridge screamed. With each sway the metal plates that made up the skin of the tower stretched apart and then came back together, paint chipping as thousands of rivets labored to keep everything in one piece.

It was when a rivet fell and struck his windshield, the glass cracking, that Kevin was shocked out of his horrified stare and recoiled back into his seat. He looked out over the hood instead, out at the city in the distance, mesmerized.

The glassy skyscrapers shimmered and sparkled in the light as they swayed back and forth at different frequencies. With each sway, glimmering debris fell from the buildings, glass and metal falling to the streets below. A crane began to separate from a tower under construction, falling in slow motion. It crashed into a neighboring skyscraper, tearing a gash in the side of the building, spilling billows of paper and shards of glass and concrete into the air. There was smoke rising from the streets between the corporate monoliths and luxury high-rises, probably from crashed cars or fires from busy downtown restaurants—Kevin covered his mouth, he felt like he was going to be sick. 

The bay sloshed against the seawalls, like water at the edge of a bathtub. The ferry which had been lining up to dock had slammed into the pier, shattering the wood with ease—chunks of wood and debris foamed in the water. Other ships and boats along the many fingered piers of the city shuttered in their berths too, bucking up against the ropes and restraints which held them in place. The towers of San Francisco continued to sway, panes of glass popping from their frames and falling to the canyon-like roads far below. Old brick warehouses and office buildings along the Embarcadero began shaking apart, bricks and terra-cotta collapsing to the ground, revealing reinforced steel skeletons to the air, as well as the desks and furniture of their interiors. Dark clouds of smoke were rising behind the shuttering towers, swirling in the air and blotting out the pure blue sky. White puffs of debris rolled out from between the skyscrapers as facades crumbled and buckled under the vigorous shaking.  

The air was filled with the shriek of metal and the cracking of asphalt as the bridge kept rocking back and forth. The scream of the steel sounded awfully like the screams of people crying out in pain, and Kevin jolted out of his mesmerized daze.

He couldn’t look anymore. He turned away, overcome by the realization that he had probably just witnessed the deaths of countless people from afar. Kevin was definitely going to be sick now, he retched into the passenger seat, his car shifting with the bridge, bile stinging his throat and tears prickling the corners his eyes. 

When would this _stop?_

A metallic shriek rang out, piercing through the cacophony of distressed steel, causing Kevin to look over his shoulder back along the rolling surface of the bridge. He saw it then, a bolt the size of a person’s head twisting apart as a high twang reverberated through the air. The bolt snapped in two, one part flinging out into the water while the other embedding itself deep into the asphalt, freeing a suspension cable a foot in diameter. 

There was a moment when the cable just stayed there, high tension holding it in the harness that the bolt once secured. Kevin gasped a little as he noticed the cable itself fraying, the bolt must’ve clipped it when it split in two. He could see the tightly coiled metal filaments that made up the larger cable come apart at the damage point, dividing and separating as the weight of the road deck stretched the cable down. 

As the bridge oscillated again, dipping down on the side of the damaged cable, a sharp twang sounded—the cable threading apart and snapping in an instant, faster than a blink of an eye. The cable slammed down into the road deck, cracking the asphalt and jolting Kevin up in his seat. It had severed a minivan three lanes over in half, crushing it in the middle like a empty can. The cable sunk into the asphalt like a knife through butter, barely visible over the fractured edge of the trough it had sliced into the bridge.

The bridge heaved, dipping lower than it ever had where the cable was missing, and for a horrifying second Kevin was sure that this was the end—but the bridge stayed, the weight shifting to the remaining cables. 

In fact, Kevin glanced around, the swaying was slowing down and becoming gentler. The bridge wasn’t rocking nearly as much, and the sound of stressed metal was lessening—slowly ebbing away as each sway grew less and less intense. 

Kevin sighed in relief, his face collapsing into his hands. He had survived. He was in shock, that was for sure, and he was waiting for his emotions to catch up with him, _but he was alive!_

The first thing he had to do was make sure that Edd was alright, but as Kevin’s shaky hands were heading down to retrieve his phone from his pocket, he paused.

A loud ceaseless horn was sounding somewhere far away behind him. As he listened he could hear it quickly get louder as the horn’s source was getting closer, whatever it was was moving _fast_. For the second time Kevin turned around in his seat to uneasily look out the rear window.   

A car-hauling semi truck stuffed with brand new Smart cars was hurdling down the gently swaying road deck, veering side to side across lanes, not slowing down. There was a huge hole in the windshield on the driver’s side, the cabin was covered in chunks of concrete and looked to be slightly crushed, though what caused the main damage was nowhere to be seen. 

The horn warbled menacingly but didn’t stop, and neither did the truck itself as it clipped the rear of the minivan crushed by the severed cable. The truck jolted and swerved, the trailer tilting, multiple Smart cars tumbling across the cracked road deck. One of the Smart cars flung off the top of the trailer faster than the others, imbedding itself into the driver’s side of a blue Prius further back in Kevin’s lane. The embedded Smart car’s mutilated alarm now screamed along with the truck’s horn into the crisp afternoon air.

The out of control semi easily rolled over the cable entrenched in the asphalt, and was aimed perfectly to pass Kevin without hitting him. As the front of the truck passed the rear of Kevin’s car, it swerved even further away from him, but then the front tires snagged on the jutting teeth of the metal grill which had impaled Kevin’s Toyota. The back tires lifted a foot or two off the ground as the truck came to a instant stop, the horn mingling with the stress of twisting metal. The trailer holding the Smart cars came swinging around at the sudden stop, continuing the semi’s momentum, and before Kevin knew it, had rammed into the back of his car.

His Toyota flipped forward, the ripping of the car’s alloy audible as it careened into the thick column of the second tower of the Bay Bridge. Kevin felt weightless during the microsecond he was upside-down when his car flew through the air, but that brief feeling ended with a crush of metal and the sputtering static of the radio.

There was then only a consuming blackness, filled with the fading sound of a truck horn—fading into nothing.

 

-o-

 

Kevin lifted the last box out of the back seat of the car, closing the door with his hip. The worn cardboard lid had multiple labels, all in Edd’s precise and even lettering; the newest being ‘ _Fragile:_ _Mugs and Glassware_.’ Kevin could feel the subtle shifting weight of the cups, and hear the soft clink of glass as he carefully carried the box through their small shady garden and up the porch steps into their new home.

The hardwood creaked a little as he paused, looking through the pocket door into the living room. Edd was on a ladder placing books on the built-in shelves by the fireplace, probably organizing them by title or subject. He would lift a book off the orderly piles around him, push up his glasses and look back between the title and the arrangement of books on the shelf, Kevin could easily see his contemplation from the foyer. Edd then made room for the new book on the shelf, wedging the newcomer between the glossy covers of the neighboring books before tidying up the whole row. It seemed like a long process, and only half the books were even on the shelves.

Kevin chuckled to himself, because the chances of Edd knowing how cute he looked in that moment were pretty slim. Kevin kept watching, the box in his arms weighing almost nothing, as Edd let out a frustrated huff before clambering down the ladder, his short ponytail bobbing with every step. He stood back from the ladder and studied the shelves. Edd ran his hand through his hair and took another step back, jumping a little as he bumped a pile of boxes. He turned quickly and steadied the pile, noticing Kevin as he looked up. Instantly a bright smile lit up across Edd’s face, and Kevin felt the usual butterflies flit and dart back and forth in his stomach. 

Kevin cleared his throat. “So, uh, where should this box go?” He asked, reading the label again. “It’s glasses and mugs, so kitchen? Or maybe the dining room?”

“Kitchen for now. Do you want any help?”

“No, I can handle this,” he grinned. “You should keep on sorting the books, it looked like you were having some trouble there.”

Edd frowned, glancing back to the half-full shelves and towers of books on the floor. “Yes… I believe we are missing a few.”

“They’re here somewhere, I’ll help you look after I set this down.”

Edd nodded absentmindedly, picking up another stack of books and making his way back up the ladder. Kevin repositioned his arms around the box, glass rustling against glass, and headed to the kitchen. He gently placed the box on the counter, adding to the large cluster of boxes already there. He should probably start unpacking the kitchen stuff, or maybe take the moving truck back to the rental lot, but seeing Edd high up on the ladder gave him another much more enjoyable idea. 

Kevin popped his head around the doorframe and watched Edd place more books on the shelf. He was waiting for the perfect moment to sneak up and surprise him, like he used to when they were teenagers. After awhile the moment presented itself. Edd wasn’t holding any books, instead one arm was laying across his chest, propping up the other which stroked his chin as he grimaced at the shelf— _distracted_.

Kevin was quick.

He darted across the living room, coming to a sliding stop at the bottom of the ladder. He reached up and grabbed Edd’s hips, who let out a startled and undignified ‘ _Eeep!_ ’ which was so adorable that Kevin had trouble keeping a straight face. Kevin proceeded to lift Edd off the ladder, which took more effort than he expected, and slowly turned him around in his arms, face now snug against Edd’s belly. He looked up at Edd and gave his best lopsided grin. 

“I don’t think this counts as helping me look for books,” Edd smiled down at him, amusement in his voice, steadying himself by bringing his hands to grasp Kevin’s shoulders. One hand snuck around to the back of his neck, gently toying with Kevin’s hair. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Hmm,” Kevin let Edd slowly slip down against his body, taking the opportunity for his hands to drift under Edd’s old PCH Mathletes shirt as it hitched up, fingers prodding the revealed swathes of warm skin, “Noted.”

“Mmmph,” Edd bit his lip, holding back a groan as Kevin positioned his thumbs to graze across his nipples. The floor squeaked as Edd touched down, his arms wrapping around Kevin’s neck. Kevin’s hands were now free to roam over Edd’s exposed body, palming his softly defined abdomen while his lips began working against Edd’s neck. “You’re certainly— _ah!_ —p-playful today…”

“Just happy,” Kevin mumbled against Edd’s shoulder, hands reaching around to teasingly squeeze Edd’s ass. He could hear Edd’s breath escape through his teeth, Edd’s hands running along the ridge of Kevin’s shoulders—skin tingling in their wake. Edd’s hands then slid down to splay out against his chest, gently pushing Kevin away. That was Edd’s signal that he wanted to look at him, Kevin raised his head and smiled down at Edd.

“You _are_ happy, right?” Edd’s worried eyes scanned Kevin’s face, the slight weight of Edd’s hands resting against his chest. “You can tell me if you aren’t.”

“Little late for that, don’t ya think?” Kevin chuckled, looking around the room at the piles of boxes and randomly placed furniture. He turned back to Edd, who looked a little guilty. Kevin gave him a reassuring smile, “I’m fine Edd, I’m more than fine really, I’m _ecstatic!_ I mean, I just moved into an amazing house with the man I love, what’s better than that?”

Edd flushed and smiled, suddenly rocking up on his toes to peck Kevin on the lips. It was probably meant to be a quick kiss, but Kevin parted his mouth and snaked his tongue along Edd’s lower lip, a move he knew Edd couldn’t resist. Edd sighed through his nose and deepened their kiss, leaning forward as his hands fumbled to grab ahold of something, eventually settling on bunching up Kevin’s shirt—tongue darting out to meet Kevin’s, hot and slick. Kevin grunted and angled his head to gain more contact, hungrily mapping Edd’s mouth, excited and eager.

This was exactly where he was supposed to be, with his hand on Edd’s hip while the other caressed his jaw, lips working together in a comfortable rhythm—there was no other place Kevin would rather be in the whole universe. 

“I love you so much Edd,” he whispered once they had parted lips, gasping. He tilted his head forward so their foreheads were resting together, Edd’s arms wrapped tightly around his middle. “We could live in a mountain shack in the middle of nowhere and I’d still be happy.” 

Edd giggled. “I don't know if _I_ would enjoy that very much, but I suppose with you it wouldn’t be so bad.” Edd leaned back and met Kevin’s eyes through his lashes and over the frame of his glasses. He smiled and brought a hand up to rest on Kevin’s neck, thumb lazily rubbing the bottom of his sideburn. “I love you, that’s why I worry. I know how much being a firefighter meant to you, and now you have to go through that whole process again, not to mention you left all your friends behind. I can’t help but feel guilty for dragging you across the country.”

“But you did the same thing Edd. You left your lab, your coworkers. I _know_ it was hard to leave Amy and Natalie behind, the way you three were all teary-eyed by the end of the going away party. But you’re going to do amazing things, help so many people with your research, and I’ll always be here by your side.” He closed his eyes and leaned into Edd’s hand, it felt so nice and relaxing. “Maybe I’m a sap, but I’m pretty sure a job and a couple of acquaintances are nowhere near as important as being with you.”

Edd moved his hand down to his shoulder, and Kevin opened his eyes, the satisfied and admiration-filled expression on Edd’s face causing him to smile. “What did I do to end up being with someone like you?”

Kevin squinted his eyes, pretending to consider Edd’s almost-silent question. “I’m pretty sure you know what you did—Homecoming, remember?”

Edd went wide-eyed and swatted playfully at Kevin’s shoulder, bursting into giggles as Kevin retaliated by tickling his sides. He then wrapped his arms around Edd and brought him in close, their bodies fitting together perfectly, rubbing circles across Edd’s lower back. Edd’s arms encircled Kevin’s hips as he rested his cheek against Kevin’s chest. Kevin could feel the beat of Edd’s heart and his slow breathing, it was soothing and even, grounding him in that moment. He’d cherish and remember this feeling until the day he died.

He bent down and kissed the top of Edd’s head, continuing to stroke his back. “I’ll always be here for you, _with_ you, no matter what.”

“I know, sometimes it’s just hard to believe that this is real… I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you.”

Kevin smiled, leaning forward to bury his face in Edd’s hair, breathing in his earthy scent mixed with the subtle hints of jasmine and rosemary. 

He couldn’t believe it either, how happy he was to be with this wonderful man.

 

-o-

 

Kevin groaned, blinking his eyes and wincing as he brought his hand to his forehead. It came back wet, his hand blurry but he could see the red dirtying his fingers. For a moment the lingering smell of jasmine caressed his nose, but that was soon replaced by the stench of ozone and gasoline. He fumbled with his seatbelt, overcome with the urge to escape, and fell to the ceiling of his car, crunching the pebbles of safety glass that seemed to litter _everything._ He winced again, his head throbbing, and crawled out of the shattered windshield into the smoky air.

His legs wobbled and ached as he stood up, he steadied himself against the wreck of his Toyota. A wave of nausea made Kevin hiss and close his eyes, grabbing onto the nearest thing, the upside-down faded green door handle of his car. He kept his eyes closed, counting slowly as he breathed in and out, letting the dizziness pass. When he felt okay he carefully opened his eyes again, looking around to get his bearings.

There was a lot to take in, too much, really. 

The wrecked cars tossed across the lanes, the cracked asphalt—buckled and warped, sparking light posts lying on their sides that hissed and arced menacingly, snapped rivets and fallen metal sheeting rocking in the wind, shattered glass and the sputtering cries of car alarms; everywhere he looked there was something to take in, but he couldn’t digest it. 

People were walking along the bridge, avoiding the wreckage, looking dazed while they all shuffled in the same direction—back towards the tunnel and Yerba Buena Island. Smoke was heavy in the air, sweeping inland on the coastal breeze. The never-ending horn from the semi which hit him was quieter but still there, reminding him of how lucky he was to be alive. 

He _was_ alive, the quake was over.

Kevin looked up at the suspension tower his car had come to rest beneath, rising high into the blankets of smoke heading east. His eye followed the smoke back to the city, where it was drifting up from the neighborhoods behind the financial district. San Francisco’s many skyscrapers were still standing, but obviously damaged with gaping holes where glass should be, exposed floors and innards bare to the elements. Kevin could hear the sirens and the wailing emergency broadcast system from where he stood, and see the swarms of multicolored helicopters against the charcoal black of the smoke. The streets below the towers were strewn with rubble and hazy from dust in the air, but Kevin thought he could see people clambering over the piles. Colorful ants over mounds of concrete and twisted metal. 

Another wave of nausea ran through Kevin’s body, his throat collapsing. He closed his eyes, hand tightening around the door handle of his car. All he could picture were people, hundreds of people, trapped and crushed under rubble and covered in dust and blood. He wanted to help them, save as many as he could, but he knew he couldn’t, that it wasn’t possible. Kevin swallowed hard, the hundreds of people filtering down to only one. He pictured Edd, trapped under tons of concrete, eyes scrunched in pain, voice unheard as the rubble shifted and constricted him further. He could hear him yelp in agony, picture him crying incoherently—Kevin’s eyes opened immediately.

He let go of the door handle, dizziness flooding back, but that didn’t matter. Kevin reached into his pocket and fished out his phone, the screen cracked from the crash that knocked him out. He hoped it still worked.

It did.

  

**To Eddward Vincent-Barr:**

_Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay._

_I’m on the Bay Bridge but I’m safe._

_I love you._

 

Kevin’s hands began to shake as he clutched his phone tighter. There was no response. 

His stomach felt like it was dropping out from beneath him, free falling to the bay below. What if he never saw Edd again?

“Hey,” a lilting female voice said, Kevin flinching as a hand touched his shoulder, “Do you need any help?” 

Kevin turned quickly, mind swimming, to meet the uncertain gaze of a smartly dressed businesswoman. Her hair was in disarray and her designer suit was torn, mascara running a little down her amber cheeks. Her warm brown eyes were comforting and concerned, but they were filled with sudden mistrust as her hand recoiled from his shoulder.

“N-no,” he gulped, “I think I’m o-okay.”

She didn’t look convinced, eyeing Kevin’s mangled upside-down Toyota. “Are you sure? That’s your car, isn’t it? There’s a nasty gash on your forehead too… Come on, let’s get you to the island where you can get that looked at.”

“The islan—?” Kevin began, but the loud whir of a helicopter interrupted him. He, along with the businesswoman and everyone else walking along the bridge, stopped and gazed up at a Coast Guard chopper slowly hovering over the side of the bridge.

“PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE COAST GUARD CAMP ON YERBA BUENA/TREASURE ISLAND,” a steady male voice belted out from a loudspeaker, “THE EASTERN SPAN OF THE BAY BRIDGE HAS BEEN SEVERED, AND THE HIGHWAY VIADUCT THROUGH SAN FRANCISCO HAS COLLAPSED, AT THE MOMENT THE ONLY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN RECEIVE IS ON THE ISLAND. PLEASE PROCEED CALMLY AND HELP THE PEOPLE YOU CAN ALONG THE WAY.”

“They came around with the same message way back along the bridge where I crashed,” the woman responded to Kevin’s questioning look once the helicopter had moved on, the sound of the rotors blades fading. “Come along, it’s still a long walk to the island.”

She ushered Kevin forward, her manicured hand on his back. He breathed in deeply, each breath calming the tension in his throat, bringing his stomach back under control. Edd was alright, he had to believe that.  

Kevin slipped his phone back into his pocket after checking again. Maybe Edd’s phone died or something, that might be why he’s not responding. They had discussed this possibility when they first moved to California years ago, they had planned to meet up at the house if they couldn’t contact each other in the event of an emergency. He just had to get home.

“Thanks, by the way,” his voice was hoarse as he looked at the woman to his right. “For coming up to me. I was kinda in shock. I-I still think I am actually,” he continued once they walked by the truck which hit him, avoiding the crumpled wrecks of the Smart cars strewn over the asphalt like discarded newspapers. 

“It’s fine,” she smiled. “You looked like you needed help.”

Kevin swallowed and nodded, looking down at the cracked road deck as they joined the stream of people heading towards the island. They passed the minivan which was cut in two by the cable, and Kevin had to focus on something else. He could smell that distinct irony scent of blood around the mass of crumpled alloy—there were bodies in that wreck. If he could smell blood that meant that there was a lot of it, and probably no hope for the people inside. His stomach churned uncomfortably again.

“Oh my lord,” the businesswoman breathed out in a small, terrified voice, “H-how awful.”

“At least it was probably quick,” Kevin gulped, pushing the bile down, “I saw it happen. One second the van was there, t-the next it was…” He averted his eyes. 

There was a comforting hand on his back, the light weight holding him there. The woman removed her hand and glanced around at the other people around them, “Should someone look inside? Just… To check if someone might be in there?”

Looks were exchanged, nervous glances between scared people, before a big man with short curly hair stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”

The man stepped over the crumbling asphalt and the cable imbedded in the road deck, edging closer to the van. Hesitantly he looked back at the people who stopped walking to watch, sudden nervousness flashing across his face. He licked his lips and turned, approaching the jagged edges of the gaping windshield. Kevin could hear his gasp as the man backed away, stumbling, his face blanched. He looked wide-eyed at everyone gathered around and shook his head, they all knew what that meant.

They all didn’t know how to react though, except by continuing walking forward along the bridge, everyone silent. The confirmed deaths of the people in the van caused Kevin’s thoughts to spiral as he walked, staring at his feet. He’s dealt with death before, it had been a part of his job, but there had never been the blood that the man who volunteered saw—the mangled corpses Kevin imagined in those seats. He shivered.

Kevin hated blood, it made him squeamish. A large portion of his fear of needles came from the perfect spherical drop of blood that followed an injection like an unnatural gem. Needles were not what he should be thinking about right now, it only made him think about Edd’s job. And thinking about Edd in terms of death and blood was not what he should be doing, he could already feel his chest constrict. He knew that there was no way to know why Edd wasn’t texting back, that he couldn’t afford to dwell on the worst-case scenario. He _would_ see Edd sitting on the front steps of their house when he got there, that’s what he should be thinking about. Those relief-filled eyes, and the tight hug that would follow. The smell of his love’s hair as he kissed him and never let him go.

A distant cry swatted away Kevin’s fantasy like smoke. He looked up, eyes scanning behind him where he thought the cry came from. There was nothing but the Prius with a Smart car sounding a trill alarm wedged into the front, beyond that the tight cables of the Bay Bridge and the sparkling blue water of the bay. The mountains and peaks of the North Bay hazed by smoke and smog in the distance.

He stopped moving, turning to the businesswoman, “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”  

“ _That!_ ” He exclaimed, another cry barely audible over the warped car alarm. The woman looked at him like he was crazy, her brows furrowed.

“Are you sure your head is alright?”

“Y-you didn’t hear that? I think someone might be in that Prius!”

There was a third cry, louder than the last two, and a spark of recognition flickered across the woman’s face. “That sounds like a—“

“— _Baby!_ ” Kevin finished, he had already turned on his heels and began running towards the Prius, the mangled sound of the Smart car’s alarm getting louder and louder with every footfall. 

He pressed himself against the window of the back door, bracketing his face with his hands so he can see past the reflection of smoke. There was a carseat on the other side of the car, opposite him. Strapped inside was a bawling baby who looked very upset. The baby’s hands were flailing around and it’s face was flushed and contorted. Kevin tried the door, pulling the handle with all his strength, but it was locked.An idea crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. He couldn’t break the window in case the glass hurt the baby, it’s not like it would listen if he told it to duck and cover. There had to be another way inside.

He backed up from the window, only now noticing the trickle of blood dripping from the collapsed driver’s side door. The Smart car had completely crumpled the front corner of the Prius, pinning the driver inside—there wasn’t enough space for anyone to survive that. Kevin’s stomach jumped, queasiness causing him to involuntarily swallow. He tried to ignore the feeling, the safety of the baby was more important than his revulsion, it’s cries wrenching his heart. 

He circled to the front of the car, where the hood was crumpled, billowing white steam. The windshield had shattered, and blood painted the tiny cubes of glass red. Kevin concentrated on what he had to do, not on the splatters of sickly congealed blood staining the front airbags. He could definitely fit through the windshield, but that was a last resort, instead he continued around to the other side of the car, standing between it and the barrier. 

It was like he could almost _feel_ that hundred foot drop mere feet away, he minded his footing over the rubble strewn asphalt.

Kevin breathed a sigh of relief, the impact with the Smart car had jarred the passenger side door open, cracking the glass. He pulled the door open further, frantically pressing the unlock button on the door console, hoping that it would still work. There was a pause, where Kevin’s heart began to race, followed by a soft click as all the doors unlocked. He backed out of the car and turned quickly, trying not to look at the driver’s seat, but for all his trying he couldn’t avoid the brief image of bloodied clothing—the matted black hair crushed between the collapsed ceiling and the gore speckled beige headrest. Kevin gulped down bile.

He pulled the back door open, leaning forward to undo the complicated straps that held the baby snug to the carseat. She, or at least Kevin thought the baby was a girl based on the glittery pink headband embellished with butterflies over her forehead, was crying desperately—snot running down from her nose and collecting at her lip. He reached and picked her up carefully once the straps were released, cradling her between one arm and his chest.

“Shhh, it’s going to be okay,” he choked out. 

Her small hands were working over his shirt as he bounced her a little, her cries getting a different tinge as he held her. Kevin slowly moved away from the Prius, coming around to the trunk. He didn’t know how to feel, a dead person’s baby in his arms, he had no clue how to move forward. It was when he saw the license plate that everything clicked. With his free hand he took out his phone and snapped a clear picture of the plate number, that way he could trace the baby back to any family once this was all over. He hoped she wouldn’t become an orphan.

Kevin couldn’t help but notice that there was no word from Edd when he took the image, but filed that to the back of his mind, the gentle weight of the baby more pressing in that instant. Her cries were lessening as he continued to bounce her softly, she was probably falling asleep. Once he tucked his phone away he ran his big hand over her head, hoping that would comfort her, or maybe himself.

He walked back to the stream of people, baby in his arms, and headed to the island in silence—wind tugging at their clothes.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I love hearing your feedback. :)
> 
> This fic isn't supposed to be long, I needed a little break from Hiding In Plain Sight before I keep moving forward, so I wanted to give this a shot. I'm planning on finishing the first two chapters of this and then doing the next chapter of HIPS, and then completing the rest of this before I keep writing HIPS. I plan to stick by that, so just letting you guys know!
> 
> Hope you liked it!


End file.
